Athena class cruiser
The Athena-class cruiser is one of the two type of cruiser hull classifications currently in service in the UNSC Navy. At 2,100 meters long, the Athena class is amongst the largest and most powerful warships the Navy currently has in service. The Athena is the intended successor of the aging Heracles class cruiser that has seen service since 50BNE. The Athena will gradually replace all of the Heracles class cruisers sometime in 30NE. Athena class cruisers are commonly used for various types of naval engagements although they are more often than not, used for ship-to-ship combat. They can also be used for orbital bombardment. Despite their relatively new status thousands of Athena class cruisers have been built. Overview The Athena class cruiser is the newest type of cruiser currently in service in the UNSC Navy. True to its hull classificaiton, the Athena is built primarily for major naval engagements, ship-to-ship combat in particular. The Athena is also often used as flagships of a fleet and/or even an entire armada. Besides space which is the Athena's primary operating environment, the Athena class cruisers are also capable of in-atmosphere operation. Due to their size, durability, armor plating and firepower (a single Athena sports four MACs), these vessels are more than capable of demolishing even the aging Reclaimer class assault carriers currently in service in the Navy and are considered to be vital and strategic assets of the Navy. Layout An Athena is 2,100 meters long, nearly two thirds the length of the Leviathan class dreadnoughts making it amongst the largest warships built by the UPEO. The super structure of the Athena is similar to that of a Heracles class cruiser meaning that it is honey-combed. If one were to cut open an Athena class cruiser in half, its interior would resemble the holes of a beehive. This design feature has proved itself to be extremely effective in allowing the ship with this hull design to resist damage. The design allows the warships to take on tremendous amount of punishment, even if its shields have failed. The reason for this is because There has been scattered but unconfirmed reports of both Athena ''and ''Heracless class cruisers still operational even after losing 90% of their hull integrity. Specifications Dimensions An Athena is 2,100 meters long, 250 meters wide and 260 meters tall. It is the 4th largest warship built by the UPEO. Propulsion Athena class cruisers are equipped with the latest version of the Deuterrium nuclear fusion reactor that featured one primary reactor encircled by two secondary reactors. These reactors are capable of boosting the overall output by 500% for a short period of time when needed. However, like any other fusion reactors, they need to be cooled otherwise they will overheat and the risk of melt down will increase ten fold. Older warships cool down their reactors by dumping a chemical fluid which are then vented into space. This process is inefficient, therefore a newer type of cooling system was installed aboard the Athena's. The Athena's utilize a type of "laser-induced optical slurry of ions chilled to near-absolute zero". In layman terms, the amount of excess heat removed by the new system increases as the reactor output did. This cooling system is critical as it eliminates the commanders concern of a reactor meltdown during combat situations and overworking the ship reactors. Armament The Athena class cruiser utilizes most of the standard ordnances that are found aboard any UNSC Navy warships although there are several differences in terms of number and specifications. *With more power output from the new reactors, the MACs of an Athena class cruiser are capable of firing nine shots per charge instead of the standard three shots per charge. Since Athena's are outfitted with four MAC guns, they can fire a total of 36 shots in just once charge. *MAC guns of an Athena class cruiser fire two different types of MAC slug. The first type of slug used is the standard heavy slug which is designed to work much like armor-piercing rounds of an assault rifle. The second type of slugs are lighter compared to the MACs used by the older Heracles class cruiser but these slugs worked like shredder rounds. In essence, on impact, these slugs will splinter, cut their way through the hull and shred their target into ribbons. These rounds are most effective when used against a ship whose shields have been depleted. *The Athena's are outfitted with 100 archer missile pods with each pod containing 120 missiles each, totaling up to 12,000 missiles in total. They are also outfitted with 60 oversized archer missile pods with each pod containing 60 missiles totaling up to 360 missiles. *Athena's carry 10 Tactical Laser Systems which are essentially a form of point-defense laser system used for anti-missile and even anti-ship combat. *For anti-missile and anti-aircraft defense Athena's are outfitted with forty 50mm point defense guns. *Athena's also carry twenty Horizon MIRV missiles. The Horizons can be outfitted with a variety of both nuclear and non-nuclear warheads. In addition to the MIRV missiles, Hull and shielding The Athena classes are equipped with both energy shielding and a 4.5 meter of solid Titanium A Battleplate as its hull. Like other warships in the UNSC Navy, the hull of the Athena classes are covered with a form of refractive coating which will spread the damage of energy weapons across the hull instead of allowing to burn through a single point. This method dishes out the energy, diminishing the damage done to the hull in the event that the shield fails. Future Since Athena's are a brand new addition to the UNSC Navy fleet there are currently no plans to replace them in the foreseable future. Athena's are expected to remain in service up until 50NE. Category:UNSC Navy Ships